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Hasankeyf

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by BlueEyedCat (talk | contribs) at 05:06, 6 December 2006 (→Ilısu Dam Impact: Kurdish Human Rights Project is not neutral yet accurate. Hasankefy has nothing to do with Kuridsh culture but Seljuk Turks.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Hasankeyf (Greek: Kiphas; Latin: Cepha; Arabic: Hisn Kayfa; Syriac: Hesno d-Kifo; Kurdish: Hesenkeyf) is a city located along the Tigris River in Batman Province in south-eastern Anatolia, Turkey, densely inhabited by Kurds. It is an ancient city, with roots going back 10,000 years. It was declared a natural conservation area by Turkey in 1981.[1] The Kurdish people form the majority in this city.[2].

Hasankeyf on the Tigris River
Hasankeyf is in Batman Province, southeast Turkey — an area mainly settled by Kurds.
File:HuriyeKüpeli.jpg
Ms. Huriye Küpeli, prefect of Hasankeyf

The Romans had built a fortress on the site and the city became a bishopric under the Byzantine Empire. It was conquered by the Arabs, in ca. 640, who built a bridge over the Tigris river. The city was successively ruled by the Artukids and Ayyubids. The city was captured and sacked by the Mongols in 1260. Following the Ottoman ascendancy established by Selim I in the region in early 16th century, the city has become part of the Ottoman Empire since the reign of Sultan Süleyman I's campaign of Irakeyn (the two Iraqs, e.g. Arabian and Persian) in 1534, at the same time as Diyarbekir, Mosul, Baghdad and Basra.

Ilısu Dam Impact

With its history that spans nine civilizations, the archaelogical and religious significance of Hasankeyf is considerable. Some of the city's historical treasures will be inundated if construction of the Ilısu Dam — a part of the GAP project — is completed.[3] These include ornate mosques and Islamic tombs built by Seljuk Turks and cave churches.

According to Bugday Association, based in Turkey itself, and which focuses solely on promoting environment-friendly lifestyle and politics, recent field research conducted jointly by Ms. Huriye Küpeli, the prefect of Hasankeyf, Swiss ambassador to Turkey and representatives of the consortium of contractors for the dam project, seem to indicate a suitable nearby spot for moving the historical heritage of Hasankeyf, an operation for which the Turkish Ministry of Culture pledges to provide 30 million euros.[4]

References

  • Blue Guide, Turkey, (ISBN 0-393-32137-1), p. 590.

Notes

  1. ^ Republic of Turkey, Ministry of Culture - Hasankeyf
  2. ^ Distribution of Kurdish People — GlobalSecurity.org
  3. ^ UK drops Turkish dam plan – The Guardian
  4. ^ Hasankeyf Raman Dağı'na taşınıyor

See also

Template:Districts of Batman


 

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